RIPPLE Africa
- Recognising Individual Potential & Promoting Local Education
Malawi
Ecosystem: Forest
Start Date: Year 2003
Goals and work for Ecological Restoration:
An area the size of a football field of forest is being cut down every 10 minutes in Malawi. The people in Malawi use the trees as firewood, but also for industrial needs such as brick and tobacco burning. The heavy use of wood for energy has lead to a huge problem with deforestation and exhausted land areas that are no longer good for agriculture. RIPPLE Africa is trying to fight this problem by working with ecological restoration. Their goals are:
· To establish 400 tree nurseries, each producing 10,000-12,000 tree seedlings per year. This will give a total of 4 million trees per year.
· To carry out regular training and monitoring with all Forest Guards, Traditional Authorities, Chiefs and local Village Development Committees.
· To organise localised education programmes for all local communities and schools, illustrating conservation and better agricultural practices.
· To set up localised projects to produce and distribute mbaulas (fuel-efficient wood burning cookers).
· Initially, there would be an emphasis on planting quick growing trees that do not destroy the soil. These trees could be used for firewood, brick burning and building in 4-5 years. From Year 2 onwards, there would be a greater emphasis on growing indigenous trees, fruit trees and agroforestry trees.
RIPPLE Africa is also working with other welfare projects in Malawi. There general mission of the charity is to preserve a sustainable development of the environment and to improve the standard of education and healthcare. They are also working towards the goal to create opportunities for the local community around Mwaya on the northern lakeshore of Lake Malawi.
Background:
The founders of the British registered charity RIPPLE Africa are Geoff and Liz Furber. In 2003, they bought a property on the shores of Lake Malawi at Mwaya Beach. The previous owner, Kristin, had operated the property as a budget tourist lodge and had latterly decided to help the local community by recruiting volunteer teaching assistants and health care assistants for the primary school and nearby health centre. When Geoff and Liz purchased the property, they visited Malawi to see what they could do to help the local community, and they decided to continue with the volunteer programme and expand it.
They were very impressed by the dedication, enthusiasm and motivation of the volunteers, and by how they were made welcome by the local community, especially the staff and pupils at the primary school and everyone at the health centre. Geoff and Liz felt that a new charity should be started. The main aim was to raise funds to provide educational support to enable the local children to realise their potential. However, the charity has grown and developed over the three years since its inception and now encompasses all aspects of the lives of the members of the community, i.e. environmental issues, education and healthcare.
Current needs:
Volunteers and donations.
Contact information (UK registered charity):
RIPPLE Africa
P O Box 2135
Buckingham,
MK18 1YF
England
e-mail:
info (a) rippleafrica.org
website:
www.rippleafrica.org
